Chicken
In 2023, Americans ate on average 100 pounds of chicken per person.1 That is twice the amount of beef or pork.2 And last year, the FDA approved two California companies that will start making lab-grown chicken.3
But the real question is whether all chicken is created equal. If it is not, what should we buy? Here is Dr. Steven Gundry discussing the different chicken labels:
So let’s talk labels.
“Free Range”
Sadly, it doesn’t mean what you think it means. According to the USDA, free range chickens must have access to outdoor space for 51% of their life.4 Does it mean they have to go outdoors? No. Does it mean that the outdoor space has to be big? Again, no. The key is access.
Here is how Serious Eats describes it:
“Keep in mind that USDA-verified free range chicken is not required to spend any amount of time in fresh air, nor are there any strict regulations regarding the density of its living space. And be wary of terms that have no legal definition, such as ‘barn roaming’ and ‘pastured’—these have no enforcement, and may mean whatever the producer or processor decides.”5
Cage Free
This relates to eggs, not chicken. Yet, we still see our chicken labeled as cage free. According to the USDA, “Eggs packed in USDA grademarked consumer packages labeled as cage free are laid by hens that are able to roam vertically and horizontally in indoor houses, and have access to fresh food and water.”6
Naturally Raised
This label does not mean a lot. Here is what Serious Eats says, “In the USDA's view, any natural meat, poultry, or egg product is simply one that is minimally processed and doesn't have any artificial flavorings, colorings, or preservatives added after slaughter. Most meat products qualify as natural under this definition, so it's a pretty meaningless adjective.”7
Organic
What does it mean when you see the USDA organic label on your chicken? It means no fertilizers or industrial pesticides in the chicken’s food. The animal feed is also not supposed to have animal byproducts or drugs. And although it is not supposed to have GMOs, testing is not necessarily required.8
Here is what the USDA says about organic: “As for organic meat, regulations require that animals are raised in living conditions accommodating their natural behaviors (like the ability to graze on pasture), fed 100% organic feed and forage, and not administered antibiotics or hormones.”9
Pasture Raised
This seems like the gold standard. It means that the chickens can roam freely in the outdoors.10 That allows them to forage and makes them healthy and have less stress. These are all good things for the meat.
The problem: According to one nutritional therapist, “The USDA only requires documentation from producers to use this term. There is no federal standard and there are no regular on-farm inspections to verify correct usage of this claim.”11
So what should you do? Look for one that is Ceritfied Humane—that means they are subject to certification and audited regularly by the American Humane Society.12
What to do?
I am by no means an expert, but it looks like we should be looking for Certified Humane Pasture Raised Chickens that use organic feed. Better yet, we should be looking for a local farmer we trust and get our chicken and eggs there. Where do you start with that? Here is one website that the Nutritionist I mention above referenced: eatwild.com. (Her article is also very helpful if you want more details.)
I hope this is helpful.
Update: If you enjoyed last week’s post on leaky gut, you might enjoy this brand new podcast from Mark Hyman on how to reverse leaky gut and the 5Rs for doing so.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonemelvin/2023/06/29/americans-eat-twice-as-much-chicken-as-beef-or-pork-heres-why-it-will-take-a-while-for-lab-grown-meat-to-catch-up/#
Id.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/06/21/usda-approves-lab-grown-chicken-heres-where-to-buy-it/?sh=7ba1779b6883
https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Does-the-label-free-range-pertain-only-to-poultry-or-also-to-meats
https://www.seriouseats.com/what-is-organic-free-range-chicken-usda-poultry-chicken-labels-definition
https://www.ams.usda.gov/publications/qa-shell-eggs#:~:text=Eggs%20packed%20in%20USDA%20grademarked%20consumer%20packages,from%20farm%2Dto%2Dfarm%2C%20and%20can%20include%20multi%2Dtier%20aviaries.
https://www.seriouseats.com/what-is-organic-free-range-chicken-usda-poultry-chicken-labels-definition
https://foodprint.org/eating-sustainably/food-label-guide/food-label-guide-chicken/usda-organic-chicken/#:~:text=The%20organic%20label%20has%20among,though%20testing%20is%20not%20required).
https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means#:~:text=As%20for%20organic%20meat%2C%20regulations,not%20administered%20antibiotics%20or%20hormones.
https://lifemodsolutions.com/healthy-diet/pasture-raised-free-range-or-organic-chicken/#:~:text=Pasture%2DRaised%20Chicken,-A%20pasture%2Draised&text=These%20chickens%20live%20in%20their,to%20protect%20themselves%20from%20predators.
https://lifemodsolutions.com/healthy-diet/pasture-raised-free-range-or-organic-chicken/#:~:text=Pasture%2DRaised%20Chicken,-A%20pasture%2Draised&text=These%20chickens%20live%20in%20their,to%20protect%20themselves%20from%20predators.
Id.; https://www.americanhumane.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AHS-Broiler-Chicken-Audit-Tool-2025.pdf